Lorne Malvo
A psychopathic hitman who takes pleasure in causing chaos and believes social norms are a ruse.
Lorne Malvo is a fictional character in the FX crime anthology television series Fargo, serving as the main antagonist of the first season. He was created by showrunner Noah Hawley and portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton. Malvo is a psychopathic hitman operating across the Midwestern United States. Between his jobs, he entices others to commit their own sadistic acts of crime and murder, all for his own personal amusement.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Fargo
- First
- "The Crocodile's Dilemma" (2014)
- Last
- "Morton's Fork" (2014)
- Creator
- Noah Hawley
- Portrayed by
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Also known as
- Satan
- The Devil
- Shark Eyes
- Duluth
- Dr. Michaelson
- Saint Paul
- Frank Peterson
- Occupation
- Hitman; Serial killer
- Partner
- Jemma Stalone
Lore & Background
Malvo is a psychopath who takes pleasure in causing chaos between his murders. He believes social norms are a ruse, as human beings one day decided they were superior to the fellow animals of the jungle and then formed society. He believes people follow nonsense rules that they subconsciously inherit and remain slaves to their entire time. This way, he does not feel guilty as he believes that there is an instinctive drive to kill that he simply fulfills, in a similar way to hunting.
Reader's Guide
Lorne Malvo is a hitman based in Reno, Nevada, who operates across the Midwestern United States. He is hired to kidnap and murder targets, but also entices others to commit their own sadistic acts of crime and murder for his personal amusement. His philosophy is that social norms are a ruse and that there is an instinctive drive to kill that he simply fulfills. Key events include: in 2006, he murders Sam Hess by throwing a knife into the back of his head at a strip club; he shoots police chief Vern Thurman; he psychologically torments Stavros Milos with acts alluding to the Book of Exodus; he kills Mr. Numbers by stabbing him repeatedly and slitting his throat; he massacres 22 people at the Fargo Crime Syndicate's base; in 2007, he kills Dr. Burt Canton, his wife, and Jemma Stalone; he kills Lester's wife Linda; he kills FBI agents Pepper and Budge; and he is ultimately shot and killed by Gus Grimly after being shot point blank in the chest and laughing.
More in Lore & Timeline
Elsewhere in Fargo
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